Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, welcomed £2,101,800 awarded to farmers and foresters.

The funding has come from the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund as is looking to boost productivity, reduce waste and cut input costs in his constituency.

Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Penrith and The Border, said: “Farmers, foresters and growers are the backbone of our communities here in Penrith and The Border, driving the economy forward, protecting our precious landscapes and keeping us well-fed with nutritious food.

“That is why it is such a pleasure to welcome more than £2 million of local investment into new equipment to keep farm businesses resilient as we move forward.

“Innovation is at the heart of Government’s rural policy and I’m proud to champion it.”

The fund offers between £1,000 to £25,000 to be invested in specific equipment from a prescribed list including rainwater harvesting tanks to improve water security for farmers in the summer; tree shears to help stop the spread of pests and diseases; and equipment to minimise grass contamination and ammonia emissions when spreading slurry.

Nationally, the Government has increased the budget to £31 million in response to high demand.

This means more than 3,000 farmers and contractors are set to receive grants to invest in improving the sustainability of their farm businesses.

The fund forms part of the Government’s manifesto commitment to invest £2.4 billion per year in farming for the rest of this Parliament.

In 2023 alone, at least £168 million is being made available to increase farming productivity through 16 different grants and competitions themed around productivity, research and innovation.

This announcement follows Dr Hudson’s attendance at the UK Farm to Fork Summit held in Downing Street last month where the Government announced a package of support for the farming sector, including new measures to ensure the sector remains at the forefront of developing and adopting new technologies and techniques.